Troubleshooting and Frequently Asked Questions

Subscription Questions

 

Help with Access

 

Policies

 

Britannica Product Inquiries

 

Subscription Questions

What is the cost of a subscription to Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12?

Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12 is available to educational institutions, and pricing is based on the number of users. Please contact our Sales Office at 1-800-621-3900 to get pricing information for your institution. Or you can request Site License information online at Site License Online Form.

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How do educational institutions access Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12?

Once a site license has been purchased, Britannica enables access in one of two ways:

1. We can enable a range of IP addresses.

2. If your institution does not own a range of IP addresses, Britannica also offers cookie-based authentication.

Britannica's On-Site Non-IP Authentication System provides access to Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12 for authorized users at subscribing institutions that do not own a fixed range of IP addresses. A confidential Username and Password are assigned by Britannica and provided to the institution's system administrator. Each workstation within the institution is then authenticated with a Britannica cookie, set on the machine by the institution's system administrator. Access to Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12 from those workstations is thereby enabled for the life of the subscription, and users will not be prompted to input the username or password.

Britannica's Remote Access System provides access to Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12 for authorized users whose IP addresses are not within the subscribing institution's range of IP addressese.g., for distance learning or off-campus use. A Username is assigned by Britannica and provided to the institution's system administrator, along with HTML code to create a Remote Access button. This button is to be created on a secure Web page requiring authentication within the institution (e.g., by a valid student/faculty ID number). Remote users must first be authenticated by the institution through the institution's secure Web page. Authorized users can click on the Remote Access button to access Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12.

 

If your institution is an active subscriber and you don't believe the problem is with your institution's Internet access or browser, Britannica Technical Support will need to know how your computer is attempting to access the site. To get this information, please complete the following steps:

1. Visit - http://search.eb.com/customer_debug

2. Copy and paste the information that appears here into notepad or a Word document, and have it ready when you contact Britannica Technical Support.

A Britannica Technical Support Representative can be reached by calling 1-800-621-3900 ext. 7160. You can also submist questions via the Britannica Customer Support form.

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How do I renew my Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12 subscription?

Please contact Britannica at 1-800-621-3900 to speak to a representative about renewal. You can also submit Site License Online Form.

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Help with Access

Why can't I access Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12?

Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12 is a subscription site, so only institutions with a site license are able to access the Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12 database and complete line of special features. Please check with your system administrator to verify that your institution's subscription is active.

If your institution is an active subscriber and you don't believe the problem is with your institution's Internet access or browser, please contact Britannica Customer Support by telephone (1-800-621-3900 ext. 7160), and a Support Representative can help diagnose the problem. You can also submit questions via the Britannica Customer Support form.

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How do I set a cookie on a workstation so that I do not have to log in with the username and password each time I want to access Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12?

To enable permanent access on a workstation, go to the Store Password Page and log in using the username and password assigned by Britannica. The log-in page will access Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12 and automatically set a cookie on the workstation for future access. Please note, the workstation's browser must be set to accept cookies for this service to operate correctly. For information on enabling your browser to accept cookies, see the next FAQ.

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How do I enable my workstation's browser to accept cookies?

To enable cookies using Internet Explorer (version 7.0 and greater):

1. From the toolbar, select Tools > Internet Options.

2. In the Internet Options dialog box, choose the "Privacy" tab.

3. From the Privacy tab, drag the slider for the Privacy Settings to "Low."

4. Click "OK" and restart Internet Explorer.

 

To enable cookies using Firefox:

1. From the Toolbar, click on 'Tools' > Options.

2. In the Options dialog box, click on the 'Privacy' button.

3. From the Privacy menu, put a checkmark in the box next to 'Accept cookies from sites'

4. Click "OK" and restart Firefox.

 

To enable cookies using Safari:

1. From the Toolbar, click on 'Safari' > Preferences.

2. In the Options dialog box, click on the 'Security' button.

3. From the Security menu, find the "Accept Cookies" section, then put a mark in

the circle next to "Only from sites you navigate to"

4. Close this window and restart Safari.

 

 

If you institution is IP authenticated, and you are being prompted for a username and password, please visit the following URL to clear your expired cookie:

http://search.eb.com/remove_cookie

If you are still unable to access the site, please complete the necessary steps listed below to manually clear your cache.

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How do I clear my browsers cache and delete cookies from my workstation?

For Windows Vista:

1. Double-click the C: drive and find the following Directory:

C:\Users\USER NAME GOES HERE\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Cookies

2. Double-click the "Cookies" folder.

3. Look for any cookies that look like this: yourlogin@eb.txt or yourlogin@eb[1].txt (where yourlogin is your log-in ID). Please note that you may also see a cookie with a '2' in the brackets of the filename (e.g., yourlogin@eb[2].txt).

4. Delete any and all of those cookies.

5. Close the "Cookies" folder. Close any browsers that you may have had open (this

removes any session cookies).

6. Open a new browser window and point it to: http://school.eb.com

 

For Windows XP:

1. Double-click the C: drive.

2. Double-click the "Documents and Settings" folder.

3. Double-click the folder that corresponds with your user account.

4. Double-click the "Cookies" folder.

5. From the "View" menu at the top of the window, select "List.

6. Look for any cookies that look like this: yourlogin@eb.txt or yourlogin@eb[1].txt (where yourlogin is your log-in ID). Please note that you may also see a cookie with a '2' in the brackets of the filename (e.g., yourlogin@eb[2].txt).

7. Delete any and all of those cookies.

8. Close the "Cookies" folder. Close any browsers that you may have had open (this removes any session cookies).

9. Open a new browser window and point it to: http://school.eb.com

 

For Macintosh users:

Please follow these instructions to clear your browsers cache:

1. Click on "Explorer" (OS X or higher).

2. Choose "Preferences."

3. Scroll down to "Advanced."

4. Click "Empty now" in the Cache section.

5. Click "OK."

 

To delete any cookies from Britannica, please follow these steps:

1. Click on "Explorer" (OS X or higher).

2. Choose Preferences.

3. Scroll down to Receiving Files and choose Cookies.

4. On the right-hand side of the window, select and delete any cookie containing server string eb.com.

5. Click OK.

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Every time I access Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12 I have to log in again. Are cookies being deleted from my computer?

Once a computer has been logged in, students should not be prompted to log in again. If students are asked repeatedly to log in on the same computer, the cookies are probably being deleted.

If a school provides individual network log-in accounts for each student, Britannica recommends that the school set up the network profiles so that cookies can be shared between accounts.

If school computers are set up to delete cookies periodically, then their Britannica cookie will be deleted. If possible, set up the computer so that the Britannica cookie is not deleted.

Schools using Deepfreeze", Fortress", or other security software products that refresh computers frequently may also be deleting the Britannica cookie. Britannica recommends including the schools Britannica cookie within the Deepfreeze" refresh itself, so that the computer will automatically be logged in when it is refreshed.

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What are some factors that impact the performance of Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12?

Since Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12 is accessed over the Internet, it is subject to the same performance issues that affect other Web sites. Britannica strives to keep Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12 quick and efficient. There are some steps that schools can take to improve the performance of Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12 (and other Web sites).

1. Britannica recommends using current versions of Internet browsers, specifically:

2. Reduce the number of other software programs running at the same time.

3. Review the schools security and anti-virus measures that are in place for Internet browsers. Higher levels of security and anti-virus checking may negatively impact the performance of Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12.

4. Investigate the performance problems by examining the Internet connections between the school and Britannica. The schools technical support staff can coordinate with Britannica Technical Support to trace the route of the Internet between the school and Britannica to identify possible problems.

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What software plug-ins are recommended to fully explore the features of Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12?

Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12 includes many classroom and teacher resources that utilize multimedia features. These require a number of software plug-ins. The plug-ins are standard and are included with most operating systems or Internet browsers.

Britannica recommends using current versions of the required plug-ins. Current versions can be downloaded for free from the Internet. Generally, if a person is missing a plug-in, the browser will prompt them to download it. The following plug-ins are required:

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When I create a Web page that links to Britannica, can I use a Britannica image or logo?

Users can download Britannica icons for use on their Web sites. These images are useful for creating links to Britannica's sites. Visit Britannica's logos and images collection to select the appropriate banner.

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Why does the Read Aloud feature not work?

Britannica's Read Aloud feature, which allows users to click a button and hear a paragraph of text read out loud, is provided to all users at the elementary level, and may be purchased for upper levels.  Please inform your system administrator that the Read Aloud feature has the following technical requirements:

1)    The following Internet access must be allowed:

        tts.eb.com             3600    IN      A       64.124.231.34  Port 8080

        tts.eb.com             3600    IN      A       64.124.236.19  Port 8080

 

2)    Computer plug-in Macromedia Flash Player version 10.0 or higher.  

        The Flash Player can be downloaded for free here:  http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/

 

For further information, please contact Britannica Technical Support at (800) 621-3900 x7160 or edsupport@eb.com

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Policies

How do I cite material from Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12?

You can quote or use material from Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12 if you properly cite the source. All encyclopedia articles include ready-to-use citations.

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How do I obtain permission to use images from Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12?

Unfortunately, Britannica cannot give explicit permission for you to use the images and diagrams that appear on Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12, as third-party companies hold the copyright to most of them. Granting you permission to use them would leave us in violation of our own copyright agreements. Most of the images on Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12 are displayed with the name of the original copyright owner. If you wish to use one of these images, please contact the copyright owner for permission.

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What are Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12's terms of use regarding its content?

All materials on this site are protected by international copyright and trademark laws. You may print or download materials on the site for your personal, non-commercial use. Using these materials for commercial purposes is prohibited, except as otherwise expressly permitted under applicable law or as described in the Terms of Use.

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How can I improve my search results on Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12?

Britannica uses advanced search technology to find the results most relevant to your search query. Visit our Search Tips page for details and suggestions for improving your search results.

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What is Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12's policy on mature content?

Every site included in Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12's Internet Guide has been examined by a Britannica editor or contributor. We do not include explicitly pornographic or violent sites, but some recommended sites do address mature or controversial themes and feature adult language. See our Mature Content Policy.

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What are the criteria editors use to select Web sites?

Editors consider sites' accuracy, usefulness, and depth of information; design quality; ease of navigation; timeliness of revision; and authority of their authors and publishers. See the complete Editorial Criteria for Selecting Web sites.

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Can Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12 provide the answers to my research questions?

Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12 is one of the most comprehensive, authoritative information databases on the Internet. The search and retrieval database is designed for your use in pursuit of knowledge on a variety of topics. However, Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12 is not a research service. That is, we do not perform research for our subscribers, nor do we supply subscribers with reports on specific topics.

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Britannica Product Inquiries

Where can I find pricing and descriptions of other Encyclopędia Britannica products?

Please call 1-800-621-3900 to request a free catalog or to speak to one of our representatives. You can also review Britannica's Online Catalog.

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Where can I find technical support for a Britannica CD or DVD product?

Technical support for Britannica CD and DVD products, including frequently asked questions and contact information, can be found at the Encyclopędia Britannica Technical Support Site.

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Does Britannica provide training materials for Encyclopędia Britannica Online School Edition K-12?

From Britannica's training site, users can download materials describing Britannica educational resources and giving tips for using them. These documents can be printed and distributed or displayed in the classroom.

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